Silver Replica Tribal Collar Hasli Necklace with Carved Bib

This is the largest kind of thing a hasli can be. The band does not sit flat on the collarbone like an ordinary necklace — it rises as a tall engraved collar around the base of the throat, then flares outwards into a broad shield that spreads across the chest and finishes in a point at the centre front. Worn against a plain dark kurta or blouse it covers the entire upper chest, which is exactly how the originals were made to be seen.

The collar band is cut with a repeating chevron-and-petal border, close-set and shallow, so it reads as texture rather than as individual motifs. Below it the bib is pierced right through: a scrolling floral vine runs out from a central stem, and the metal between the leaves has been cut away so that the skin or fabric behind it shows through. Pierced work of this kind changes with the light in a way engraving alone does not, because the openings read dark while the surrounding metal stays bright. Along the top edge of the collar sits a row of tiny beaded points.

There are no stones anywhere on this piece. The whole effect is carried by shape, by the contrast between the solid collar and the pierced bib, and by the depth of the carving — which is the older tradition. Hasli takes its name from hansuli, the collarbone, and in its original form it was a solid silver torque worn by tribal and village women across Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and the Deccan, often as wearable savings rather than as decoration. The weight and the plainness were the point. Stones came later and from elsewhere.

This is a silver replica rather than silver: brass worked and finished to read as the old silver pieces do, which is what makes a collar at this scale affordable and also light enough to wear for a whole evening. A genuine silver collar of these dimensions would be heavy enough to be uncomfortable within an hour.

It fastens with an adjustable opening at the back. Wear it high and alone — a piece like this needs nothing else at the neck, and anything layered over it will simply be lost. It works with black, with deep indigo, with rust and with undyed cotton or linen, and it belongs with a plain neckline rather than an embroidered one. Keep earrings small; studs or a short jhumka. If you wear it with a saree, let the pallu sit behind it rather than over the shoulder in front.

Base metal is brass with a silver-tone finish. Supplier stock on these large pieces is limited, so Keyura lists it for WhatsApp enquiry rather than direct checkout.

About the Silver-Tone Finish

This is brass with a bright silver-tone plating rather than solid or sterling silver, which is what keeps the price where it is. Plating is a surface rather than a bulk property, so how long it lasts depends almost entirely on what it meets — perfume, hairspray and sweat all shorten it, while a dry cloth after wearing and a closed pouch between wearings extend it considerably.

Care

Put this on after perfume, hairspray and hand cream, and take it off before washing, swimming or sleeping. Wipe with a dry soft cloth and use a dry soft brush around the stone settings and between any pearls, where a cloth cannot reach. Store it in a zip-lock pouch — which is what the supplier themselves advise, and the single most effective thing for a plated piece, because it keeps humid air off the metal. Never use silver polish, dip cleaners or an ultrasonic cleaner.